iPhone connects and disconnects from Mac

Tried connecting a new iPhone 11 to a Macbook Pro (2015) and had this very frustrating problem. Using a new cable. Tried everything, but this actually worked. Not sure if I will have to do this again when I reboot, but I guess we will see.

As a relatively recent Windows transplant, while this solution works, it does have a very clunky windows-like feel to it. Honestly I thought my days of task killing were over now that I am swimming in the iOS pool. :-(

Lord B,

could you please share with the rest of us - why it seems to be fine now? What did you do to fix it?

(my apologies if you posted it already and I missed it)

Many thanks, have a great day and stay healthy.

Bronco

This was fantastic advice - thank you. I'm a techno-dummy who gets visibly shaken when I'm in the Terminal. Me and code do not jive. This however was easy as pie and worked like a charm. The constant connect/disconnect with my iPhone while it was plugged into the laptop, (coupled with the annoying sound) was making me nuts, (well, more nuts than normal). Thanks again!

Buy something other than a Mac. At least that's what I'm planning to do. Something as simple as connecting your phone to your computer, should never be such a big problem. I've tried everything and nothing works. usbd is impossible to kill. killall -stop... in Terminal, none of that works. I'm done with Apple. Overpriced and now as problematic as windows. Game over for me.

Have looked up answers for this for a while now. This would happen using both my apple charging cords. Did not believe such a simple solution could work. WORKED! I'm so grateful for you techies. Thank you

One work around I've done is use a USB to Thunderbolt adapter so that I can connect my iPhone to my computer via thunderbolt. Still having this issue after trying some of the methods below. This workaround has helped, but wonder what the solution is w/out an adapter.

Hi, I was trying to do this command but it seems to ask for the older users password for my Mac. (I bought this second hand) I dont have a way to contact him anymore. Is there another way to fix this? Thank you

Hi Sergey...!!! Even now in 2021, is the same for me and my brand new 2nd gen iPhone SE. The above 60% battery solution worked for me as well.

Thank you very much!

Carlos

P.D. I'm running MacOS Mojave (ver. 10.14.6)

Thanks, this works, but the problem reoccurs.

It may be related to the Anker brand cable as someone else mentioned using that here, and I used that brand, then switched to apple cord.

Will bookmark this for future use.

I'm a a loss for what to do at this point and I'm starting to wonder if it's my Macbook itself that is the problem. I've had this issue for the past 3 years with two separate phones, but the same Macbook.

I'm running a 2015 Macbook Pro with Mojave (had this issue on the previous OS as well). I first noticed the issue with my iPhone XS Max, but didnt't think anything of it as I just charged with wall ports and used Airdrop to transfer things. I now have a new phone and would like to be able to connect it to my Macbook.

I now have an iPhone 12 Max and the same issue is occurring.

None of the current solutions people are suggesting have worked. I've tried all of the following:

• terminal commands
• resetting my SMC
• resetting locations and privacy on my phone
• resetting all settings on my phone
• fully updating my phones.

This is really becoming frustrating...

Thats true, #AppleCare doesn't seem to care at all, every supposed trick here is just guess work and not an actual solution, people tried their best to resolve among themselves, meanwhile the apple admin idiot who manages this thread probably doesn;t even open this page to actually try and give an f...! All while launching new crap non stop...

After struggling with this for way too long I found a youtube vid that provided the solution. I have bookmarked it and, if I could, would send this guy a Christmas Card. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/CBFMTYjk4eQ

This error means something went wrong while establishing the connection between the Mac and the iPhone. These suggestions are largely useless - a lot of things could have gone wrong, and things like restarting the Phone or changing the cable won't fix any of them. This has happened to me twice over the past few weeks - it turned out there was a corrupted file that caused the problem. Deleting the file let the phone sync again. I don't know what the implications are for my music library - I'm a recents switcher from Android, and haven't synced anything yet. In any event, I can't think of an excuse for Apple not to have fixed this in the 10 years since it was first reported here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4474508?page=3

Or if not fixed, at least provide enough information to correctly diagnose the problem - I'm sure this corrupted file isn't the only cause. These reboot the machine / replace the cable / reset the phone suggestions are frankly insulting, and the reason a lot of users stopped using Windows years ago. No reason to recreate the same useless support environment for Apple products.

I think I found a solution after much research.

On the mac, go to settings>Network> iphone USB> then uncheck the box that says "Disable unless needed"

This worked for my iphone 7

I hope this helps!

If you use multiple desktops with one desktop handling photos (ImageCapture), and another desktop handling iTunes, the madness that ensues is impossible to reconcile, because the macbook pro jumps from one desktop to the other while you are trying to accept a trusted connection, and the iPhone is doing its thing - connecting and disconnecting.

Apart from the very poor/weak management of multiple desktops in OSX (vs Linux), this situation can drive you insane.

The solution is to make sure iTunes is not running when you connect your iPhone - and be on the same desktop as ImageCapture will be when it automatically starts. When you connect your iPhone remove (swipe away) all active apps so that when you get the message to 'trust' this computer you can answer it.

For me this failure to connect occurred when I must have changed from the Wifi to LAN (via thunderbolt) connection. If I changed USB port and set WiFi ON it connected without a problem. But I got curious as to why I could not connect with the first USB port, and the above solution evolved.

This said, I do not agree that Apple should be able to make changes that remove the trust that is already established between devices. It is careless and arrogant behavior to allow customers to be left stranded. The more IT savvy will be able to solve this without resorting to the 'Genius Assistants' in the shops.